Glueless Vinyl Flooring - Benefits And Installation

Vinyl flooring can be installed either with glue or without. This is why there are two main types available today: glueless vinyl flooring and regular vinyl flooring. There are many reasons and benefits to installing either types, and knowing which goes best where can help you make the best decision for your flooring - since it's a decision that will have to last for a while..

Benefits of installing glueless vinyl flooring

• While the glueless type tends to last a bit less than the sheet vinyl flooring installed using glue, it is much easier to set on your floor.
• It is also less messy since there are no dry patches of glue or adhesive that you need to try to scrape off your flooring, which means you have a much cleaner process in front of you.
• If you have an apartment or a room where you really don't care for a very long lasting floor covering, this one is perfect for you. You might be staying at home in a particular place only for a couple of years, or you might be renting an apartment or a condo and while you need to refresh the flooring in the kitchen, you don't feel you need to spend that much time on getting it to stick for many years. These are all valid reasons to consider installing glueless vinyl flooring as your current floor covering.
• It can be installed over many subfloors that are not appropriate to use with flooring types that need to fully glue to the surface, including flakeboards, particleboards or even lightweight concrete.
• The flooring is very easy to remove as it is not permanently glued on the subfloor.
• Also maintenance is very easy with this vinyl flooring type.

How to install glueless vinyl flooring the easy way

First of all, you are in luck, as when home remodeling, installing this floor type is much less of a hassle than going with the glue variety or trying to install another material such as hardwood. Also if you've ever installed glueless laminate flooring, this is not all too different. Having said that, there are a couple of steps and tools you need to get it right. Afterall you will be walking on that floor for a good while, so why not do a good job of it while you're at it?

1. Maybe the most important step is to buy more flooring material than you think you need. Buy approximately 10% more when you purchase your flooring as no matter how well you think you counted earlier on for the right measure, Murphy's Law is always in action and watching over you.
2. Remove all the baseboads and the thresholds in the room. This type of flooring really needs to push against the walls directly to look at its best. So remove first any floorboards as you can add them back afterward. Simply unscrew with a screwdriver or lift the nails carefully from the floor with a pry bar.
3. Make sure that you have a clean and level surface where you want to lay your glueless vinyl flooring. Clean up the surface of any debris and dirt. Also check that your subfloor has no cracks or holes. If it does, take a putty knife and fill these cracks with a patching compound that you can easily get at your local DIY store. First let the patching compound dry before installing your new flooring.
4. Roll out your new flooring material and center is on your floor. You should have the same amount of extra on all sides of the room borders. Trim any excess with a knife so the vinyl flooring lays exactly at the edge of the wall. Wherever the flooring goes around a doorway make a straight cut with heavy scissors and make a V cut in the corners.
5. Take a tiny portion at a time and roll it back. Use double-sided tape on the floor and press the vinyl material strongly on it so it adheres to the tape. Go slowly until you have completed the entire room. Once it is done, use a heavy roller and go over every inch of the room again to release any trapped air bubbles. Apply seam sealer in any place that 2 pieces of vinyl flooring meet. You can get seam sealing kits and they are avaialbel with a disposable applicator. As each manufacturer makes them in a different way, don't ignore the instructions on the label for applying the sealer the right way.
6. Once the new vinyl flooring is in place, replace the removed baseboards and door thresholds.